Phil Mickelson makes Masters feeling clear despite brutal Augusta experience

Despite not making the cut at this year's Masters, golf legend Phil Mickelson has expressed his unwavering affection for the tournament. A total of 53 players progressed beyond the initial rounds, with the cut-off point being two-over.

Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion, carded a second-round 74, finishing five-over and thus missing out on the weekend play at Augusta National.

He exits alongside former champions like Angel Cabrera, Sergio Garcia, Jose Maria Olazabal, and Dustin Johnson.

Before the event kicked off, golf icon Jack Nicklaus was unsure about Mickelson's participation due to his switch to LIV Golf. However, Mickelson has been active, playing in every event last year and all four tournaments this year.

Despite securing two top-10 finishes in 2025, his performance wasn't sufficient to stay in the competition.

"I had a lot of fun," Mickelson remarked. "I wish I played better. I thought it was great. I thought that it was challenging with the wind today, but the greens were more receptive. I think they put some water on it knowing that. I thought it was playing, fun, great challenge, hard. It's the Masters; I love everything about it", reports the Mirror US.

"I've been playing good golf this year, and so I'm disappointed with my score this week. But I've been playing some good golf. I'll get back at it here soon."

Phil Mickelson expressed disappointment after failing to make the cut at the Masters despite feeling confident about his game.

"It felt like this was a good week, a good opportunity for me, and unfortunately I didn't score. It's disappointing because I felt I was playing well enough to at least be in the hunt. Yeah, it's exciting. It's the Masters. The best players seem to rise. It's going to be an exciting weekend."

Mickelson was visibly frustrated by his performance, and the fact that he couldn't compete for the Green Jacket. "I really thought I was going to play well and get right in it," he said.

"I can't remember - I haven't missed very many cuts here, and I'm surprised that I missed one this year because I was playing really well heading in."

Meanwhile, fellow LIV Golf star Dustin Johnson shared similar sentiments after also missing the cut. "I'm playing better than that I scored for sure," he said.

"Didn't score very well. Yeah, tough finish there. Played pretty solid all day until the last two holes. But, you know, this golf course, it's a pretty tough finish. If you drive it in the fairway it's not tough. You miss the fairway, it's difficult."

Johnson emphasized the need to minimize mistakes in order to improve his game. "You know, for me, just got to clean up the mistakes a little bit. The game is in good form. Just got to limit the mistakes."